I have a rejuvenated appreciation. I have had tanks as a kid, nothing special (ie - fake plants, rocks, and decor with tropical).
When I was 22 and moved in with my GF (Now Wife) - I setup a 35 Gallon Hex which was great at the time...I LOVED IT.
I was at a Fish auction in Buffalo, NY and entered a raffle (Bought 1 ticket for $1) for a 65Gallon Tall and won it. The tank sat for 2 years until we bought our house and I set it up, again nothing "special", pretty but also pretty typical....
Then it got real fun when I got my 30G Biocube and setup reef. It was amazing at first, and I am so glad I did it. The fish our so graceful in Saltwater, and it is a completely different ecosystem with the vast variety of Shrimp, crabs, fish, not to mention the Corals! But you have to be a freaking chemist, and the $$$ invested in everything it is critical to maintain things like Salinity, Calcium, + the cores such as Ammonia, Ph, etc....it got too damn expensive and time consuming to maintain. I was maintaining more than enjoying.
This brings me to the most exciting tank I have ever owned, and a true appreciation of Freshwater in converting the SW to FW Planted. It seems more "Real". Living in Buffalo, NY I am surrounded by "Green" nature everywhere. Having a tank of this sort fits the type of ecosystem I have grown up to appreciate. It looks like something I could go outside and see in the woods. Having Swordtails, and Cory's, and Tetras in an environment that is "natural" as opposed to fake plants and decor makes a world of difference, I feel like I am providing them with a home and making them happy compared to them being "captives". I am strongly considering converting my 65G to a live planted and getting a light/CO2 system.
